'India is on moon': ISRO Chief Somanath to PM Modi on Chandrayaan 3 soft landing | WATCH

Celebrations broke out at ISRO’s Mission Operations Complex in Bengaluru as Chandrayaan-3 lander module made a soft landing on the Moon at 6:04 PM on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in South Africa’s Johannesburg, joined scientists at ISRO to witness the historic moment. After the touchdown, ISRO chief S Somanath told the PM, “Pradhan Mantri Namashkar. Sir, we have achieved soft landing on the Moon. India is on the Moon.”

#WATCH | "India is on the Moon": ISRO chief S Somanath as Chandrayaan 3 lander module Vikram makes safe and soft landing on the Moon pic.twitter.com/5xEKg0Lrlu

— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2023

India has become the first nation in world to make a soft landing on the south pole of the Moon’s surface. Addressing the event, PM Modi said: “History is created today. When our dear family members witness such history being made before their eyes, life becomes blessed. India is now on the moon. The entire India is celebrating this historic moment.” “This is a moment to cherish forever; India is now on the Moon,” the Prime Minister said. The PM further said that India’s successful Moon mission is not India’s alone. “This is a year in which the world is witnessing India’s G20 presidency. Our approach of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ is resonating across the globe.” India conquers the Moon After an unsuccessful attempt about four years ago, India has created history as it has landed on the ‘hellish’ South Pole of the Moon on 23 August. India has now joined the United States, the Soviet Union and China in achieving a Moon landing. As stated by ISRO, the Vikram Lander module, started its separation from the Propulsion Module at 5:44 PM and made its way down to the lunar surface, finally touching down on the lunar surface. The landing of the Chandrayaan-3 mission was designed to be similar to that of the Chandrayaan-2, ISRO said in a statement. The only difference is that the lander module was built in an error-proof manner, ready to deal with a variety of situations, should things have taken a wrong turn. The Chandrayaan 3 mission was launched on July 14 on board Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3) rocket, for a 41-day voyage to reach near the lunar south pole. The Vikram lander’s soft-landing took place days after Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the Moon after spinning out of control.